This is Carlos.Carlos used to reside in New Jersey with his mother – until he wound up in the hospital with a head wound and a concussion. The hospital’s child welfare staff found evidence of abuse by his mother, and she was deemed unfit to care for him.

The State of New Jersey assumed custody, and discovered Carlos had an aunt in the Dominican Republic. Carlos’s parents understood the severity of the situation and relinquished their parental rights in order for his aunt to assume custody. The state began working with ISS-USA, and was able to locate an agency in the Dominican Republic fit to complete a home study on his aunt. Following a positive home study, Carlos was escorted by a social worker to his new home in the Dominican Republic. Thanks to additional support services like special education and hearing assistance, Carlos is thriving in his new home. Through the ISS-USA partner in the Dominican Republic, the state is able to ensure a safe and positive environment for Carlos through monthly check-ins.

Meet Neelesh

This is Neelesh. He’s a U.S. citizen who lived abroad in India.

After being found living as a vagrant in an Indian train station, Neleesh was diagnosed with a mental illness. One day, Neleesh disappeared and lost contact with his family. Eventually, he presented himself at the U.S. Embassy in India and officials promptly contacted ISS-USA.

ISS-USA was able to utilize their global network to locate his relatives in the U.S. In the company of medical professionals, Neleesh was flown to the U.S. from India where he was able to reconnect with his relatives and get the medical treatments he needed.

He now lives happily in the U.S. and needs no further care.

Meet Maria

This is Maria. Maria and her brother, Francisco, lived in New Jersey with their drug-dependent mother. After deeming her mother unfit to care for her children, a child services agency in New Jersey took them into custody and were able to locate their father in Mexico. The agency reached out to ISS-USA for help with navigating the process of relocating the children.

ISS-USA contacted their partner in Mexico who was able to conduct a thorough home study, finding the father’s home to be a safe and healthy environment for the children to grow up in.

A case worker then accompanied the children to Mexico to reunite them with their father. ISS-USA’s partner in Mexico continues to conduct check-ins to ensure Maria and Francisco are thriving in their new environment as well as continuing to get access to the social services they need.

Meet Meera

This is Meera. She’s a U.S. citizen who was living in Pakistan. One day, Meera presented herself at the local hospital with serious injuries.

Doctors at the hospital recognized the signs of abuse. Meera alerted officials that her wounds were a result of marital abuse, and she was attempting to flee from her husband.

ISS-USA was contacted and immediately began work on her case. Meera’s mother was located in the U.S., and it was arranged for Meera to return to her. After being medically transported to the U.S., Meera was admitted to a hospital where she recovered from her injuries. Now Meera lives happily in the U.S. with her mother and is safe from abuse.

Meet John & Jessie

John and Jessie are brothers who were living in Costa Rica. They were taken into custody by Costa Rican social services after they reported to their teachers they were suffering abuse at home. Social services placed the brothers with a foster family in Costa Rica until it was discovered they had a biological aunt and uncle living in Florida, who wanted permanent custody of them.

ISS-USA was contacted and conducted a home study at the aunt and uncle’s home in Florida to ensure the safety and comfort of the boys upon arrival. After the positive home study, they flew to Florida with a case worker to be reunited with their family members and are now well adjusted to their lives in Florida.

Meet Sophia

This is Sophia. She has autism. Both of her parents were incarcerated in Virginia, and she was placed in foster care.

While Sophia was in foster care, it was discovered that her aunt is a teacher in Ghana and wanted to care for her. The case worker in Virginia reached out to ISS-USA to conduct a Child Resource Survey to make sure all of Sophia’s therapeutic and educational needs could be met if she were to be placed with her Aunt.

The ISS Network partner in Ghana conducted the survey and found there were many resources for Sophia near her aunt’s home. Sophia was then united with her aunt and is receiving the care, support, and services she needs to thrive.